By Weld Royal

In the wealth management industry, no one likes to talk about maternity leave, asserts 32-year-old Hollis Montgomery, a Morgan Stanley financial advisor in Atlanta. "But I'm sort of the one woman show that tries to bring it up as often as I can. I have a three year old and a two year old, and my business has doubled in size in the last five years. My team became much closer and also more efficient through my maternity leave," she says.

On our latest The Way Forward: Next Generation podcast , Montgomery discusses her secret to balancing the demands of clients and two small children.

The team composition. Montgomery grew up learning about wealth management by working alongside her father, and ultimately took over the business from him. Today she manages institutional and private clients. She has a team of about 21.

This includes two handpicked people who closely work with Montgomery to juggle client calls and requests. If a client can't reach Montgomery, she says they feel just as comfortable speaking to the duo. For more complicated client issues and advice, Montgomery leans on the larger team, who bring special expertise and knowledge such as how to use different lending products.

Montgomery believes the wealth management industry's move toward a team model can benefit an advisor trying to balance work and family life. "I'm never going to miss a soccer game. I'm never going to have to sacrifice a lot of things. If you build [a team] with the right people around you, it can really bring the best of both worlds," she says.

No role models. Montgomery's team management approach took form before her children were born. When she learned she was pregnant, Montgomery started to call around looking for a mentor to talk her through how to go out on maternity leave without losing revenue. She couldn't find anyone.

"There are not a ton of women who are producing financial advisors whose teams depend on their revenue production. Lacking a role model, Montgomery realized she had to figure out what was best for her business, her clients, her family, and herself. "It was hard in the moment. I had to trust my gut."

She went out on leave, and really checked out. Looking back, Montgomery realizes how much her decision to break away from work during maternity leave helped her team to grow professionally.

Previously when a client called, Montgomery tended to jump on the request, even a small task, despite realizing it wasn't an efficient way to grow a business or train a team.

"By getting out of my own way, by stepping out on maternity leave and genuinely taking some time apart, it allowed me to realize that things move along just fine without me. I have great people around me," she says.

Hear more on the podcast:

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February 13, 2025 14:47 ET (19:47 GMT)

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